Real Country Guitar

Cowpoke (Acoustic Version)

2020-02-01T18:09:00.002-08:00

Let It Be Christmas by Alan Jackson: How to Play

2019-01-03T11:43:00.001-08:00

I Saw Three Ships Guitar and Harmonica

2018-12-14T11:40:00.004-08:00

Southern Nights by Glen Campbell Intro

2018-02-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

How to Play Huntin Fishin and Lovin Everyday Intro

2018-02-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

How to Play Wicheta Lineman

2018-01-27T15:45:00.002-08:00

How to Play Intro to Ain't That Lonely Yet by Dwight Yoakam

2018-01-21T19:48:00.001-08:00

Scarecrow in the Garden Cover

2018-01-21T19:29:00.002-08:00

Intro to "Scarecrow in the Garden" by Chris Stapleton

2018-01-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

How to Play Riley Green's Bury Me In Dixie

2018-01-17T10:17:00.002-08:00

A Salute to the Irish!

2017-02-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Kacey Musgraves- Merry Go 'Round Review

2012-12-24T15:55:00.001-08:00

By: Jonathan Harris

Texas native Kacey Musgraves has recently ridden onto the scene with her highly acclaimed debut single "Merry Go Round," a song about people who live their lives for something they can never achieve in this life. The first time I heard the song, I admit, while I was drawn to the deep lyrics and classic country style, I was slightly put off by the drug and adultery references. However, the more I listened, the more I realized that, not only was this song a work of genius, but it taught a down-right valuable lesson.

The first two paragraphs of the song read:

If you ain't got two kids by 21,
You're probably gonna die alone
At least that's what tradition told you.

And it don't matter if you don't believe,
Come Sunday morning you best be there
In the front row, like you're s'posed to.

It seems obvious to me that what's being described here is the American dream from a small town perspective. Getting married early and going to church are what life's about right? Well, for our grandparents those where the main elements of life---as further reinforced by the use of nostalgic 8mm home video film footage in the music video. But today there's something lacking, and it's something that was even lacking for our parents. Everything's empty! Yes, we may be in church, but it's only out of duty. We may get married, but it's because we fear dying alone.

The next two lines sum up the problem. Underlying our social activities and "status" are the scars from the emptiness inside and instability that comes in a home where such emptiness reigns supreme.

Same hurt in every heart.
Same trailer, different park.

The song goes on. . .

Mamas hooked on Mary Kay
Brothers hooked on Mary Jane
And Daddies hooked on Mary two doors down.

These three lines are dead on accurate and I really appreciate them. Let me explain. The things all members of the family are using to distract themselves from the emptiness they feel inside are presented in an equivalent manner. Mary Kay is seen as equal to drugs (Mary Jane) and adultery (Mary two doors down), yet they all bear the name "Mary." I think we as a culture so often forget that Sports, hobbies, music, style, work, etc. can all be just as big escapes as what we perceive to be more evil. Yes, being obsessed with the way you look and fashion can get you the same temporary high and be just as distracting and meaningless as marijuana. Awesome point! Also notice that the whole family is affected by this escapism. There is no hope in a solid father or a mother who has it together. The coping mechanisms are passed down to each generation (thus the merry go round effect) which is the point Musgraves makes next.

Mary Mary quite contrary,
We get bored so we get married
And just like dust we settle in this town.
On this broken merry go 'round and 'round and 'round we go,
Where it stops nobody knows...
And it ain't slowin' down, this merry go 'round...

Coping with the emptiness of the human heart by trying achieve things that we think will make us happy (by living up to other people's standards) is viewed as negative and a dead end. It doesn't really get us anywhere.

The single goes on to reinforce this futility of life theme.

We think the first time's good enough,
So we hold on to high school love,
Say we won't end up like our parents.

Tiny little boxes in a row,
Ain't want you want it's what you know,
Just happy in the shoes you're wearin'.

Same checks we're always cashin',
To buy a little more distraction.

One of the lines that changes in the second chorus states, "We're so board until we're buried." This concept intrigues me. Here's the situation. We are told by tradition to value certain things like church and marriage. So we try those things and they don't give us satisfaction. We are told by the world to value certain things (the three Mary's), so we try those and they don't give us satisfaction. In reality the "Mary's" turn out to be the distractions from our seemingly failed lives. We spend our paychecks trying to distract ourselves from this fact so we can pretend everything is really fine when it isn't. The result? Pain? Hopelessness? Hurt? Well yes, but supremely over all of these is one thing: boredom. Boredom?! Yes, we are left with no real purpose and nothing we do seems to satisfy or feel important. Thus the demise of our culture. . . a culture surrounded by every conceivable blessing yet still board.

Finally we come to the end of the song. Musgraves sings:

Jack and Jill went up the hill,
Jack burned out on booze and pills,
And Mary had a little lamb,
Mary just don't give a damn no more.

What a statement. I'm assuming the little lamb is perhaps referring to a child? A generation so dead set on escaping reality to find satisfaction that we neglect our own children.

Here's the summary. This sounds an awful lot like the book of Ecclesiastes minus the last verse, "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil" "Merry Go 'Round" describes a world without a higher purpose being placed in God. It's almost like the sequel to Tracy Lawrence's "Time Marches On," without the references to the angels. As a Christian, I can appreciate this song because it's so true. Man without a higher purpose is left to this way of thinking, and yes, it is extremely tragic. Cultural Christianity can't come up with the solution either (remember the first line). It must be a real faith in a real God who has a real purpose with real satisfaction.

How to Play Let It Rain by David Nail

2012-01-15T16:37:00.000-08:00

How to Play Home By Deirks Bentley

2012-01-15T16:36:00.000-08:00

How to Play God Gave Me You by Blake Shelton

2012-01-15T16:34:00.000-08:00

Great Moments in Country Guitar #20: Glen Campbell Plays Ya'll Come

2011-09-16T11:41:00.001-07:00

How to Play If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away by Justin Moore

2011-09-16T11:32:00.000-07:00


Capo 4

Intro: G, Cadd9, G, Cadd9

G                         Cadd9
Every day I drive to work across Flint River bridge
  G                                 Cadd9
A hundred yards from the spot where me and grandpa fished
           D/F                                Cadd9
There's a piece of his old fruit stand on the side of Sawmill Road
   D/F                                 Cadd9
He'd be there peelin' peaches if it was twenty years ago
Bm7                     Cadd9
      And what I wouldn't give
Bm7                                  Cadd9       D/F
To ride around in that old truck with him

  G
If heaven wasn't so far away
    Cadd9
I'd pack up the kids and go for the day
   D/F
Introduce them to their grandpa
    Cadd9
Watch 'em laugh at the way he talks
G
Find my long lost cousin John
    Cadd9
The one we left back in Vietnam
 D/F
Show him a picture of his daughter now
 Cadd9
She's a doctor and he'd be proud
 Em7                 D/F             Cadd9
Then tell him we'd be back in a couple of days
        Em7             D/F                Cadd9
In the rear view mirror we'd all watch 'em wave
      Em7                 D/F           Cadd9
Yeah losing them wouldn't be so hard to take
                    D/F     G         Intro
If heaven wasn't so far away

G                                                 Cadd9
I'd hug all three of those girls we lost from the class of '99
G                                        Cadd9
And I'd find my bird dog Bo and take him huntin' one more time
    D/F                              Cadd9
I'd ask Hank why he took those pills back in '53
    D/F                               Cadd9
And Janis to sing the second verse of "Me and Bobby McGee"
Bm7                Cadd9
Sit on a cloud and visit for a while
     Bm7                        Cadd9      D/F
It'd do me good just to see them smile
 G
If heaven wasn't so far away
    Cadd9
I'd pack up the kids and go for the day
   D/F
Introduce them to their grandpa
    Cadd9
Watch 'em laugh at the way he talks
G
Find my long lost cousin John
    Cadd9
The one we left back in Vietnam
 D/F
Show him a picture of his daughter now
 Cadd9
She's a doctor and he'd be proud
 Em7                 D/F                  Cadd9
Then tell him we'd be back in a couple of days
        Em7             D/F                Cadd9
In the rear view mirror we'd all watch 'em wave
      Em7                 D/F           Cadd9
Yeah losing them wouldn't be so hard to take
   Cadd9            D/F
If heaven wasn't so far
   Cadd9            D/F
If heaven wasn't so far
   Cadd9            D/F    G     Intro
If heaven wasn't so far away

So far away

So far away

How to Play The Cave by Mumford & Sons

2011-09-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Great Moments in Country Guitar #20: Glen Campbell Plays Witchita Lineman

2011-09-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here's another one from Glen as we salute our country music legend of the week.

How to Play Here in the Real World by Alan Jackson

2011-09-14T13:41:00.001-07:00

Capo 1st fret
Slow tune

Intro:
G-A-D-G-D

D             G     A
Cowboys don't cry,
                 D
And heroes don't die.
                 G     A
And good always wins
          D
Again and again.
              G            A
And love is a sweet dream
      A7           D
That always comes true
                          G        A
Oh, if life were like the movies,
      A7      D    G    D
I'd never be blue.


Chorus:
 D7             G           A
But here in the real world,
                      D
It's not that easy at all,
                       G             A7
'Cause when hearts get broken,
                      D
It's real tears that fall.
      D7                   G      A
And darlin', it's sad but true,
                                    D
But the one thing I've learned from you,
                     Em     D       G
Is how the boy don't always get the girl,
A7                G     Intro
Here in the real world.


I gave you my love,
But that wasn't enough,
To hold your heart
When times got tough.
And tonight on that silver screen,
It'll end like it should,
Two lovers will make it through
Like I hoped we would.

Repeat Chorus

At the end of second chorus play  D-A7-D  to wrap it up.

How to Play Barefoot Blue Jean Night by Jake Owen

2011-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Intro:

E B A B x2

Verse 1:

E B
Full moon shinin' bright
A B
Edge of the water we were feelin' alright
E B
Back down a country road
A (stop)
The girls are always hot & the beer is ice cold

E B A B

Verse 2:

E B
Cadillac horns on the hood
A B
My buddy Frankie had his dad hook him up good
E B
Girls smiled when we rode by
A (stop)
They'd hop in the back & we'd cruise to the riverside

Chorus:

E B
Wohh never gonna grow up
A B
Wohh never gonna slow down
E B A
Wohh we were shinin' like lighters in the dark
B
In the middle of a rock show
E B
Wohh we were doin' it right
A B
Wohh we were comin' alive
E B A
Wohh Yeah caught up in a southern summer
B
Barefoot blue jean night

E B A B

Verse 3:

E B
Blue eyes & auburn hair
A B
Sittn' lookin' pretty by the fire in a lawn chair
E B
New to town and new to me
A (stop)
Her ruby red lips were sippin' on sweet tea

Verse 4:

E B
Shot me a look like a shootin' star
A B
So I grabbed a beer & my ole guitar, then we
E B
Sat around til the break of dawn
A B
Howlin' & singin' to our favorite songs

Chorus:

E B
Wohh never gonna grow up
A B
Wohh never gonna slow down
E B A
Wohh we were shinin' like lighters in the dark
B
In the middle of a rock show
E B
Wohh we were doin' it right
A B
Wohh we were comin' alive
E B A
Wohh Yeah caught up in a southern summer
B
Barefoot blue jean night

Chorus:

E B A B
Wohh never gonna grow up
E B
Never gonna slow down
A (once)
We were shinin' like lighters in the dark

In the middle of a rock show
E B
Wohh we were doin' it right
A B
Wohh we were comin' alive
E B A
Wohh Yeah caught up in a southern summer
B
Barefoot blue jean night

Outro:

The outro is just this a bunch of times over the same chord progression:

E B A E
Wohh Barefoot blue jean night

Great Moments in Country Guitar #19: Glen Campbell Plays William Tell Overture

2011-09-13T05:39:00.000-07:00

In light of the recent announcement concerning Glen Campbell's alzheimer's, we are featuring him and his amazing contribution to country music this week.

How to Play You and Tequila by Kenny Chesney

2011-09-13T05:10:00.000-07:00

G C G C
Baby here I am again, kicking dust in the canyon wind
G C G C
Waiting for that sun to go down
G C G C
Made it up Mulholland Drive, hell-bent on getting high
G C G
High above the lights of town

D G
You and tequila make me crazy
D G
You run like poison in my blood
Bm Em
One more night might kill me, baby
C D G C G C
One is one too many, one more is never enough

G C G C
For 30 days and 30 nights, I've been putting up a real good fight

G C G C
There were times I thought you'd win
G C G C
It's so easy to forget the bitter taste morning left
G C G
Swore I wouldn't go back there again

D G
You and tequila make me crazy
D G
You run like poison in my blood
Bm Em
One more night might kill me, baby
C D Em
One is one too many, and one more is never enough
Em A
When it comes to you, oh the damage I could do
Em C
It's always your favorite sins that do you in

{INSTRUMENTAL BREAK}

D G
You and tequila make me crazy
D G
You run like poison in my blood
Bm Em
One more night might kill me, baby
C D G C G C
One is one too many, and one more is never enough

How to Play Your Man by Josh Turner

2011-09-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Intro Tabs

---------------------------------|

---------------------------------|

-------------------------------2-|

---------------2-4---2-----2---2-|

-----------2-4-----4---2h4---4---|

-0-0-0-0-4-----------------------|

----------------------------------|

----------------------------------|

--------1-------------------------|

-4-4-4----4-2-----2-------------2-|

--------------4-2-----------2---2-|

--------------------0-4-2h4---4---|

--------------------------------------------0-|

--------------------------------------------0-|

--------------------------------------------1-|

--------------0-1-4-1-------1-----2-2---2-2-2-|

-2-2-2-2-4-2-4--------4-2h4---4-2-----4-----2-|

--------------------------------------------0-|

Intro: A E B E
(No Chords)
A
Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low
A E
Put some music on thats soft and slow
B
Baby we ain't got no place to go
E(Stop)
I hope you understand
(No Chords)
A
I've been thinking bout this all day long
A E
Never felt a feeling quite this strong
B
I can't believe how much it turns me on
E
Just to be your man
F#m
Theres no hurry,don't you worry
E
we can take our time
F#m G#m
Come a little closer,lets go over
A E (Stop)
What I had in mind
(No Chords)
A
Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low
E
Put some music on that soft and slow
B
Baby we ain't got no place to go
E (Stop)
I hope you understand
(No Chords)
A
I've been thinking buot this all day long
A E
Never felt a feeling quite this strong
B
I can't believe how much it turns me on
E
Just to be your man

Solo: E A E B E
F#m
Ain't nobody, ever loved nobody
E
The way that I love you
F#m G#m
We're alone now, you don't know how
A E (Stop)
Long I've wanted to
(No Chords)
A
Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low
A E
Put some music on that's soft and slow
B
Baby we ain't got no place to go
E (Stop)
I hope you understand
(No Chords)
A
I've been thinking bout this all day long
A E
Never felt a feeling that was quite this strong
B
I can't believe how much it turns me on
E
Just to your man
E B
I can't believe how much it turns me on
E
Just to be your man

Solo: E A E B E

Great Moments in Country Guitar #18: Chris Thile and Michael Daves play My Little Girl in Tennessee

2011-05-09T19:18:00.000-07:00